finners: there are none who have greater reafon to expect nearness to God than young faints. Do you not read, that God revealed himfelf to Samuel, the child, when he neglected Eli, the old prophet? Befides, I would recommend earneftness and affection to you; not only for your greater profit, but to prevent your apoftafy. A little religion is very hard to hold; it is like a lamp which is hardly lighted, which the leaft breath of wind will extinguish, or a tree that is but newly planted, which a rude thruft will overturn. Unless you make God and his fervice, your hearty choice, you will not carry it long as your burden, but will be foon tempted to throw it down. Be concerned, therefore, I befeech you, to attend on his infti tuted worship, not in a careless and formal manner, but let the "defire of your fouls be to his name, and the re"membrance of him."

I fhall now conclude the fubject, by offering to those, who would fee the glory of God, a few directions, as to the best preparation for such a discovery. 1ft, If you would fee the glory of God in his fanctuary, be serious in selfexamination, and in the renunciation of all known fin. Holiness is an effential attribute of the divine nature; and, therefore, he must be worshipped in the beauty of holi. nefs. Thus the Pfalmift refolved with himself, Pfal. xxvi. 6. I.will wafh mine hands in innocence, fo will I com"pafs thine altar, O Lord!" It is true, none, who have any knowledge of the corruption of their own hearts, can reafonably hope to be perfectly free from fin in the prefent life: yet a real Chriftian will have it, as the object of his daily ftudy, to "cleanfe himself from all filthinefs of the "fleth and fpirit, that he may perfect holinefs in the fear "of God." It was fin that first rendered us unfit for communion with God; and therefore, our recovery of this happy privilege will be but in proportion to our fanctification. To bring finful difpofitions, indulged, and ftill fuffered in the heart, to the worship of God, and to expect acceptance in fuch a ftate, is implied blafphemy, and the greatest difhonor we can poffibly do to him.

2. In order to fee the glory of God, you must be clothed with humility. No difpofition more effentially neceffa

ry to a Chriftian at all times, but more especially, when he makes an immediate approach to God in his worship: Ifa. lxvi. 2. "For all thofe things hath mine hand made: " and all thofe things have been, faith the Lord: but to "this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of "a contrite fpirit, and trembleth at my word." And, indeed, how can we confider the nature of that God whom we worship, and our own finful and miferable eftate, without being ftruck with a fenfe of the neceffity of deep humility and felf-abasement in our intercourse with him? It is particularly to be noticed, that self-abasement, and even felf-abhorrence, is the immediate effect of a sense of the divine prefence. See to this purpose, Ifa. vi. 1,—5. "In the year that King Uzziah died, I faw alfo the Lord "fitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train "filled the temple: above it ftood the feraphims: each "one had fix wings: with twain he covered his face, and "with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did "fly. And one cried unto another, and faid Holy, holy, "holy is the Lord of hofts, the whole earth is full of his "glory! And the pofts of the door moved at the voice "of him that cried, and the houfe was filled with smoke. "Then faid I, Wo is me; for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midft of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the "King, the Lord of hofts!" See alfo Job xlii. 5, 6. “I "have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now "mine eye feeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and re

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pent in dust and afhes." Let us endeavor, therefore, to be truly and inwardly humble. Let us remember the grace of redemption, what guilty criminals we were, before unmerited mercy and fovereign love found out a way for our recovery. Happy they, where humility arifes from a real exercife of foul! How difficult, how rare a thing, is true humility? How eafy is it to ufe modest and fubmiffive expreffions, compared to attaining a truly humble and mortified ftate of mind? May almighty God, by his power, make us humble; and do thou, O bleffed Jefus!" caft down every high thought, and lofty imagination, that exalteth itself against thee."

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3. In the last place; if you defire to fee the glory of God, be fervent in preparatory prayer: if there is any blefling that requires importunity and wrestling with God, furely this high and happy privilege of communion with him in his house must be of that kind. And I think, we are warranted to fay, that, in the divine government, there are fome bleffings that require more importunity than others. See a remarkable passage, Mark ix. 28, 29. "And when he was come into the houfe, his difciples "afked him privately, why could not we caft him out? "and he faid unto them, this kind can come forth by no"thing, but by prayer and fafting." If fome devils were fo obftinate in their poffeffion, that the fame degree of faith and fervor which prevailed over others, could not cast them out, must not the fame thing hold, from analogy, with refpect to other mercies? And how juftly are indifferent, luke-warm worshippers denied that blefling which they fo lightly esteem? Let me therefore, earneftly, befeech every serious perfon not to reftrain prayer before God, but to repeat and urge the plea, that he would be graciously present with us; that he would pour down his Spirit from on high, and make us to know, to our happy experience," that a day in his courts is better than a thoufand; and that it is better to be door-keepers in the "house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickednefs."

This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?

M

Y brethren, all the works of God are great and marvellous, worthy of the attention and admiration of his rational creatures. The contemplation of what is now revealed of him, is the nobleft employment of which we are capable in this world: and the more clear and enlarged contemplation of him fhall be our employment and happiness in the world above. But of all the works of God, there is none in which his perfections are fo fignally displayed, as in the redemption of an elect world through Jefus Chrift. All other views of his glory are faint and fading in comparison of this. However much we are called to adore the power and wisdom of Creation, or the goodness and bounty of Providence, our praises are extremely defective, if we omit that new fong which he hath put into our mouths, even praife to our God for his unfpeakable gift.

Redeeming love, my brethren, is the immediate object of our attention in the holy ordinance of the Lord's fupper. Here is a fymbolical representation of it, that faith may be ftrengthened by the aid of fenfe. I hope, therefore, it will not be improper, by way of preparation for it, to take a view of the glory of our Redeemer's character, whofe fufferings we are now to commemorate. As fal

vation is an agreeable found, fo the name of a Saviour is a delightful name to every believer. I may therefore fafely prefume upon the attention of all fuch at least, while I endeavor to fet him before you, as he is represented in the ftrong and forcible language of the text, Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrab? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? Such a theme will be the most proper introduction to the work of this day; that, as we are to commemorate Christ's sufferings as an extraordinary event, he is here fpoken of, and his appearance inquired into, in words of astonishment and admiration: Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah! this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength! I fhall not fpend time in affigning the reasons why interpreters generally apply thefe words to Chrift, but only obferve, that, on this fuppofition, they contain a mixed representation of glory and fuffering, of ftrength and abasement, which is the very substance and meaning of a Saviour on the cross.

Agreeably to this, the fingle point I have in view, in the prefent discourse, is, through Divine affiftance, to point out to you, in what refpects the glory of our Redeemer was apparent even in his fufferings, and fhone through even the dark cloud that covered him in his humiliation, or in the language of the text, how he might be faid, to travel in the greatness of his strength: and then I fhall make fome practical improvement of what may be faid.

I. I am to point out to you, in what refpects the glory of our Redeemer was apparent even in his fufferings, and fhone through even the dark cloud that covered him in his humiliation. As the love of God to man, in providing redemption for him, was inconceivable, fo the mean which he employed, in accomplishing this great work, was equally aftonishing. That his eternal and well-beloved Son fhould veil his divine glory, clothe himself with human fleth, fubject himfelf to a life of pain and fuffering, and at laft make his foul an offering for fin upon a crossThis, as it was not after the manner of men, nor bore